Superdrug is going in right direction with 1D perfume sales

BOY band One Direction was a big hit on the high street at Christmas and provided Superdrug with its best-selling celebrity fragrance.

PUBLISHED: 00:00, Tue, Jan 21, 2014

One Direction merchandise spurred sales at Superdrug by 1.5 per cent [REX]

As well as the 1D Our Moment scent shoppers snapped up cosmetics, toothbrushes and DVDs featuring Harry Styles and his bandmates. Their popularity contributed to a 1.5 per cent rise in sales at the chain in the nine weeks to December 28.

Like other retailers it saw a big shift towards online shopping. Web sales surged by 58 per cent.

Managing director Joey Wat said: “Our Christmas trading figures show a solid performance during challenging times which is good news as we head into our 50th birthday year. Adding interest to our high street stores with beauty services, while also investing in the refurbishing of the store estate, sees us return to positive like-for-like annual growth in 2013, with Christmas trading offering a sparkling end to the year.”

Superdrug has 850 stores and is part of international retailer AS Watson Group, an offshoot of Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa.

Lingerie maker Ultimo said its online sales grew by a record 24 per cent in December.